With the Missouri Supreme Court denying an appeal of two lower court rulings, a constitutional amendment reinstating campaign contribution limits will appear on the November ballot. State contribution limits, originally approved by voters in 1994, were repealed by the General Assembly in 2008.

If passed, the 2016 ballot measure would ban direct corporate and labor union contributions and limit individual and committee contributions to statewide candidates to $2,600 per election. Contributions to political parties would be capped at $25,000 per election.

The Missouri General Assembly held its annual veto session on Wednesday, September 14. Lawmakers were successful in overriding some of Gov. Jay Nixon’s vetoes, including the vetoes of two highly controversial bills.

One bill abolishes a state law requiring permits, training, and background checks for those seeking to carry concealed weapons. The other requires voters to show a photo identification before casting a ballot. The voter ID law will take effect in 2017 only if voters pass a state constitutional amendment in support of it.

Photo of the Missouri State Capitol by Nickbigd on Wikimedia Commons.

A judge has ordered a special election for House District 78 after a candidate lost the Democratic primary by roughly 90 votes. Although Bruce Franks won the in-person vote, his opponent’s margin of victory came solely from absentee ballots. Franks filed suit alleging people who cast absentee ballots did not qualify to apply for them.

Circuit court judge Rex Burlison ordered a special election be held September 16 because the board of elections violated state law by failing to require all absentee votes be in the proper absentee ballot envelopes.

Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway issued a report Monday revealing a potentially illegal checking account used by legislators to collect contributions from lobbying firms.

The account is purportedly used by the Senate to fund late-night meals during the legislative session. According to Galloway’s report, actively soliciting contributions from lobbyists is a conflict of interest.

Since the audit, Senate officials have vowed to find other ways to purchase meals as necessary.

Photo of State Auditor Nicole Galloway by Nicole Galloway for Missouri on Wikimedia Commons.

Missouri Sen. Bob Dixon wants Gov. Jay Nixon to call a special session to close a loophole in the state’s drunk driving law and to ask the Legislature to support a pilot program for the Missouri Public Defender System.

If the drunk driving loophole is not addressed, thousands of drunk drivers could be released on a technicality or given a lesser charge because of a mistake in the law regarding how breathalyzer equipment is calibrated.

Dixon is asking for the special session to occur next to the Legislature’s veto session. The veto session begins September 14.

Gov. Nixon has not yet commented on whether he will call a special session.

Photo of the Missouri State Capitol by Nickbigd on Wikimedia Commons.

A candidate who lost the Democratic primary for a Missouri House seat is challenging the primary election results.

Bruce Franks lost the primary in the 78th District to Penny Hubbard by roughly 90 votes. Franks won the in-person vote, and Hubbard’s margin of victory came solely from absentee ballots.

Franks filed suit last week alleging some people who cast absentee ballots did not qualify to apply for them. On Monday, a judge issued a stay in the case and deemed the lawsuit premature because the secretary of state has not yet certified the official election results.

This is potentially problematic for Franks, as state law requires all primary election challenges to wrap up by the end of August. If a special election is ordered, it must occur within 30 days of an order being issued. Furthermore, candidates may not be placed on a general election ballot less than six weeks prior to the election. Even if his challenge is successful, Bruce Franks would need to be certified the primary winner by September 27 to be placed on the general ballot.

Missouri gubernatorial candidate Chris Koster has thrown his support behind a November ballot initiative aimed at reinstating campaign contributions limits.

While he served in the state Senate, Koster voted twice to remove the limits and has since opposed multiple attempts to reinstate them. He claims his change of heart is a result of a shift in the way Missouri campaigns are funded.

A decade ago, there were few, if any, large contributions; he believed removing limits would improve transparency. Now, however, it is not uncommon to see seven-figure contributions funneling through committees, with no mechanism to effectively identify the original contributors.

The proposed ballot measure would ban direct corporate and labor union contributions and limit individual and committee contributions to statewide candidates to $2,600 per election. Contributions to political parties would be capped at $25,000 per election.

The measure was certified for the November ballot, but still must overcome a legal challenge.

Gov. Jay Nixon issued a writ of election to fill the vacancy for Missouri Senate District 4. Joseph Keaveny vacated the seat on July 7, 2016, to become an administrative law judge at the Department of Labor.

Interested candidates must file declarations of candidacy with the Office of the Secretary of State by September 7, 2016, for the special election on November 8, 2016.

St. Louis Alderman Scott Ogilvie recently introduced legislation to limit campaign contributions to local candidates.

Board Bill No. 53 prohibits candidates from accepting contributions exceeding $10,000 per city election from any person, entity, or committee. The amount would increase in April in each odd numbered year to coincide with any increase in the consumer price index.

Ogilvie’s proposal also defines election periods for the purposes of contribution limits, creates a Municipal Officials and Officers Ethics Commission, makes contributions from minors age 16 or younger attributable to parents or guardians, and sets penalties for violations of the bill.

If passed, the ordinance would be effective April 6, 2017.

Photo of the Gateway Arch in St. Louis by Daniel Schwen in Wikimedia Commons.

The 98th General Assembly adjourned Friday, May 13.

Although ethics reform was a top priority this session, lawmakers fell short of passing bills creating political contribution limits or prohibiting lobbyist gifts. The Legislature did approve a 6-month waiting period for public officials seeking to become lobbyists as well as prohibit legislators from serving as paid political consultants.

Both houses stand adjourned until Wednesday, May 25. They will convene for a technical session and then adjourn sine die on May 30 pursuant to constitutional mandate.

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon signed two ethics bills on Friday, May 6.

One bill creates a revolving door provision for lawmakers and statewide elected officials seeking to become lobbyists. They must wait at least six months after their terms end before engaging in lobbying. The second bill requires candidates to dissolve their campaign committees and either refund or donate the remaining funds upon registering as lobbyists.

Both bills are effective August 28, 2016.

Missouri lawmakers sent legislation to the governor on Wednesday as part of the state’s attempt at ethics reform. One bill would create a revolving door provision, prohibiting legislators and statewide elected officials from lobbying until six months after their respective terms end. Because he has expressed a need for ethics reform since 2009, Gov. Nixon is likely to sign the bill.

Another piece of legislation still under consideration involves a potential ban on lobbyist gifts to public officials. The Senate recently voted on an amendment to remove the ban from the bill and, instead, to replace it with a $40 per-gift limit for each lawmaker.

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon signed House Bill 1983 yesterday, prohibiting statewide elected officials and legislators from receiving compensation as paid political consultants on behalf of other officials or members of the General Assembly. The bill is the first ethics-related legislation to cross the governor’s desk since multiple lawmakers resigned last year amid embarrassing sex scandals.

While the law does not address the conduct issues of the past, Nixon believes it is a step in the right direction and will strengthen the ethics laws he believes are the weakest in the nation. Missouri is one of few states with no campaign contribution limits, no limits on lobbyist gifts to lawmakers, and no revolving door provisions preventing legislators from immediately lobbying after leaving office.

A revolving door ban, prohibiting legislators from serving in office one day and returning as lobbyists the next, has been a priority for the Missouri General Assembly as it considers sweeping ethics reform legislation.

The House passed a bill earlier in the year barring lawmakers from lobbying for one year after leaving office. The Senate removed the waiting period and wanted legislators to simply finish their respective terms before becoming lobbyists.

After months of deliberation and negotiation, a conference committee reached an agreement Wednesday both sides are likely to approve. The compromise would prohibit legislators from working as paid lobbyists for six months after their terms expire.

If both houses approve the committee’s recommendations, the bill will be sent to Gov. Jay Nixon for final approval.

Photo of the Missouri State Capitol by Nickbigd on Wikimedia Commons.